ITERATIVE INNOVATION OF LITHIUM EXTRACTION TECHNOLOGY IN SALT LAKE
Valve Array & Rotary Table Continuous Ion Exchange Device | Haipu Lithium Adsorbent Core Technology
Global Salt Lake Lithium Extraction Pain Points & Haipu Targeted Solutions
For South America, Argentina and inland salt lake mining clients, we solve mainstream brine extraction bottlenecks such as ultra-high Mg/Li ratio, excessive boron/calcium impurities and fresh water shortage via integrated material & equipment DLE solutions.
Pain Point 1: Ultra-High Mg/Li Brine Separation Difficulty
Most Tibet & South America salt lakes feature Mg/Li ratio up to 500:1~3000:1. Li⁺ and Mg²⁺ have similar ionic radius, traditional membrane/chemical precipitation cannot separate efficiently, causing heavy lithium loss & low finished lithium salt purity.
Haipu Solution
5th-gen aluminum series & 3rd-gen titanium series selective lithium adsorbent. Titanium adsorbent achieves world-first large-scale industrialization, ultra-high lithium selectivity, lithium recovery ≥75%~95% without magnesium co-adsorption. Mass applied in Argentina 3Q & Tibet Laguo Co salt lake projects.
Pain Point 2: Boron, Calcium & Fluoride Impurity Overlimit
Boron & calcium residue will downgrade lithium carbonate/lithium hydroxide below battery grade; fluoride corrodes all pipeline & membrane equipment. Traditional chemical precipitation consumes massive alkali, introduces secondary salt waste, hard to control trace impurity below 5ppm.
Haipu Solution
HP4010 calcium-magnesium chelating resin (effluent Ca/Mg ≤5ppm), HPB119 deep boron removal resin, HP3500 fluoride removal resin. Selective adsorption without extra chemical dosing, no secondary impurity, fully match electronic-grade lithium salt production standards.
Pain Point 3: Severe Fresh Water Shortage in Arid Mining Areas
Traditional fixed bed adsorption consumes huge washing water; evaporation concentration costs extremely high, single ton lithium carbonate consumes 500m³ fresh water, restricting sustainable exploitation of inland salt lakes.
Haipu Solution
Patented low-bed small-particle aluminum adsorbent + counter-current regeneration continuous ion exchange device. Cut total system water consumption by over 80%; electrodialysis concentration replaces MVR evaporation, save 80% evaporation energy cost, perfect fit water-scarce South America mining areas.
Pain Point 4: Adsorbent Poisoning & High Dissolution Loss
Sulfate-type brine poisons common aluminum adsorbents after long-term operation; ordinary DLE materials crack & dissolve heavily, frequent replacement increases operation cost, unstable production capacity in winter low temperature.
Haipu Solution
HPL162 anti-poison aluminum adsorbent stably runs over 1 year in high-sulfate Qinghai brine without performance decline. Optimized pelletizing technology reduces dissolution loss, ultra-low temperature resistant formula guarantees full-year production in high-altitude cold salt lakes.
Pain Point 5: Traditional Fixed Bed Intermittent Production
Fixed bed needs repeated shutdown for adsorption/washing/desorption, low unit output, high resin filling volume, heavy manual operation, unstable lithium liquid concentration, hard to realize full automatic control.
Haipu Solution
Carousel rotary table & valve array simulated moving bed continuous ion exchange system. Realize 24h uninterrupted lithium extraction, reduce resin dosage, fully automatic valve switching, stable qualified lithium liquid output, lower eluent & solvent consumption.
Pain Point 6: Single Adsorbent Cannot Cover All Brine Types
Most suppliers only provide single aluminum adsorbent, cannot adapt carbonate brine, gas field brine, low-grade old brine, lithium precipitation mother liquor lithium-sodium separation scenarios.
Haipu Solution
Industry’s most complete adsorbent portfolio: Aluminum / Titanium / Manganese three series. Customized formula for chloride, sulfate, carbonate, gas field brine; support lithium-sodium separation from mother liquor, develop new lithium resource recovery channels.
Bipolar Membrane Electrodialysis: Core Key Product for Salt Lake Lithium Extraction
Bipolar membrane electrodialysis is one of the core proprietary equipment in Haipu integrated DLE system, widely deployed for Argentina and South America salt lake projects, solving high energy consumption and chemical cost issues in brine concentration & impurity removal.
- Efficient Lithium Enrichment: Concentrate low-lithium raw brine to above 20g/L, drastically cut MVR evaporation investment and power consumption, save up to 80% evaporation cost.
- In-line Deep Boron Removal: Remove boron from nanofiltration & RO concentrated brine without chemical precipitant, avoid boron contamination of battery-grade lithium salts.
- On-site Acid & Alkali Generation: Produce acid and alkali by electricity without purchasing industrial caustic soda, greatly lower raw material cost for remote South American salt mines.
- Low Salt Waste Emission: No extra chemical additives, comply with Latin America environmental protection regulations.
- Full Process Matching: Seamlessly connected with continuous ion exchange & chelating resin purification lines.
This membrane equipment becomes standard supporting facility for large-scale overseas lithium brine exploitation projects.
1. Company Profile & Full Salt Lake Brine Lithium Extraction Solution
Haipu relies on independent R&D system of core lithium adsorbents, ion exchange membranes and supporting equipment, combined with provincial brine extraction engineering research center to provide full-set customized DLE solutions for global lithium brine recovery, including overseas project construction & long-term operation service.
1.1 Continuous Ion Exchange Technology
Different from traditional fixed bed, pulsed bed and simulated moving bed processes, continuous ion exchange system converts batch production into 24h continuous lithium extraction, greatly raising unit processing capacity for overseas salt lake projects.
Full pretreatment & membrane integration supporting line: Sand filtration, precision filtration, reverse osmosis, nanofiltration, electrodialysis, MVR evaporation; Resin deep purification: calcium magnesium removal, boron removal, fluoride removal; Final lithium products: LiCl, Li₂CO₃, LiOH·H₂O.
1.2 Bipolar Membrane Electrodialysis Working Principle & Industrial Value
Bipolar Membrane Working Principle Schematic
Core Important Functions in Salt Lake Lithium Production
- High-efficiency Lithium Concentration: Electrodialysis stacks concentrate lithium from low-concentration brine to over 20g/L, greatly reduce MVR evaporation load and energy consumption, cut evaporation cost by 80% compared with single thermal concentration.
- Mid-stream Deep Boron Removal: Remove boron from nanofiltration and RO concentrated liquor in the middle of extraction line, avoid boron precipitation polluting lithium salt and lowering battery-grade purity; replace high-cost chemical boron precipitation without introducing extra salt impurities.
- Self-supply Acid & Alkali On-site: Bipolar membrane splits water into H⁺ and OH⁻, convert lithium chloride brine directly into lithium hydroxide without purchasing industrial caustic soda, sharply lower raw material alkali cost for remote South American lake projects.
- Reduce Secondary Waste Discharge: No extra chemical additives during concentration and impurity removal, lower salt waste generation, meet strict environmental standards of Latin America mining zones.
- Match Whole-process Adsorption Line: Perfectly docked with continuous ion exchange, chelating resin impurity removal and lithium precipitation process, form closed-loop membrane-adsorption integrated production line.
Bipolar membrane is composite ion exchange membrane composed of anion exchange layer, catalytic hydrophilic layer and cation exchange layer. Under DC current, it splits water into H⁺ and OH⁻ for brine resource utilization.
2. Special Adsorbent & Chelating Resin for Salt Lake Lithium Purification
2.1 Deep Impurity Removal Chelating Resins
- HP4010: Calcium & magnesium removal for lithium-bearing brine. Mandatory pretreatment for lithium carbonate & lithium hydroxide production, effluent Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺ ≤5ppm.
- HP3500: Fluoride removal for leachate. Stablely reduce F⁻ below 1mg/L without secondary impurity introduction, avoid equipment corrosion.
- HPB119: Deep boron removal for raffinate. Selective boron adsorption with minimal lithium cation loss.
2.2 Aluminum / Titanium / Manganese Series Lithium Extraction Adsorbents
Haipu 5th-gen aluminum-based adsorbent & 3rd-gen titanium-based adsorbent, world’s first industrial titanium DLE material, widely exported to South America lithium mining clients.
| Adsorbent Series | Model | Particle Size | Core Application & Advantages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aluminum Series | HPL151 / HPL162 | 0.2-0.4mm / 0.5-2mm | High Mg brine, sulfate salt lake; excellent low-temperature resistance |
| Titanium Series | HPL91X | Regular particles | Carbonate brine & lithium precipitation mother liquor; low dissolution loss |
| Manganese Series | Custom Model | Regular particles | Low-grade chloride & sulfate brine, wide adaptability |
3. Valve Array & Rotary Table Continuous Ion Exchange Equipment
Exportable carousel & simulated moving bed systems for global salt lake DLE projects, high automation & low resin consumption.
4. Global Industrial Application Cases
Xinjiang Lop Nor Salt Lake (China)
Annual lithium carbonate output: 5,000 tons
Argentina 3Q Salt Lake (Overseas Latin America Project)
Pilot test finished Oct 2024, chloride-type high lithium brine
Tibet Laguo Co Salt Lake (China)
Annual lithium carbonate output: 20,000 tons
Qinghai Dongtai Ginel Salt Lake (China)
High sulfate low lithium raw brine
Qinghai Sulfate-Type Salt Lake (China)
Anti-poison HPL162 adsorbent mass production
5. One-Stop Global Engineering Service & Production Capacity
5.1 Full-Service Scope
Overseas customized adsorbent R&D, equipment manufacturing, cross-border transportation, on-site commissioning for Latin America & Central Asia salt lake clients.